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IPS factory. "The process of mass producing Japanese pliers. The only plier factory in Japan."

They come in handy occasionally.

I only occasionally work on engines, so maybe that's why I haven't ended up with any hex sockets. I generally tend towards the lightest or thinnest thing I can get away with.

Here's a little more info about tiny Japanese factories, in case anyone else is curious.

Just for fun.

I have some Maun ones too, but they don't seem to make ones with this long, slim shape. I used them just yesterday to hold the side of a small nut in a space with tight clearance. Maybe there's some Japanese thing that does this job better.

I like those Tsunoda flat nose. I also have some Tronex ones without serrations. And some awful parallel flat nose pliers. I wish I knew where to find nice ones.

I noticed today that two of my slotted bits had the exact same dimensions, so I decided to give them a closer look. Edit: Just noticed I put this in the wrong thread, but kind of too late now... Same folks in both, I suspect.

A few years ago I decided to get some ratcheting wrenches and kind of blindly chose TOP after being pleased with their adjustables. I bought them all at the same time from Amazon Japan, but noticed that some were different than others. I "discussed" my set with Gemini today and it reached this...

There weren't any links in that response, but earlier in the conversation about these pliers Gemini referenced the Alloy Artifacts JIS and the Alloy Artifacts Japanese Tool Manufacturer web pages.

I'm a little late contributing to this, but KTC makes very nice slip joint pliers too. I have an old pair of TOP pliers as well. Gemini AI helped confirm that I bought them at Radio Shack around 1990. The jaws still align perfectly.

I have never been fully satisfied with the soft jaw pliers I've tried. They all have hard, slick plastic inserts that just don't grip very well. The IPS Neo series uses softer material, and the combination slip joint pliers have two spring-loaded positions and an unsprung center storage position.

Don't forget 3.peaks. :)

Just got in some new Torx. Seems like the smaller the tool, the bigger the difference. The only thing they shrunk were the words, which I would have prefered they enlarged or just left alone.

I like Plano. :LOL:

New hex handles are substantially larger. Came in handy today.

Factory Gear has some other options. I think their Deen COO is usually Taiwan, though. https://ec.f-gear.co.jp/category/HANDTOOL_SET/

There's been a lot of activity on this thread since I read it yesterday. I came to comment on the Klein driver, but much of what I was going to say has now been covered by other posts. I think the YouTube video comparison to the Wiha CentroFix is apt. I have a Wiha, which I keep with my...

I bought a pair of Toribe Seisakusho KS-203 on Amazon.com six years ago and they are still as good as new. Price has bounced up and down since then but is back near what I paid, about $50. https://www.amazon.com/Toribe-Kitchen-Sputter-KS-203-Japan/dp/B001GU01BG/?tag=atomicindus08-20